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Sketching Pompeii on the Upper East Side
For sketchers and art lovers who enjoy Ancient Rome, there is a delightful gem of an exhibit on the Upper East Side, not far from the Metropolitan Museum. The NYU Institute for the Study of the Ancient World is showing 35 frescoes from Pompeii rarely seen outside Italy that date from the 1st Century.
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Bela de Tirefort – A Forgotten New York Artist
Years ago while browsing a second-hand store I became entranced by a moody oil painting of a tugboat with a silhouette of lower Manhattan in the background. The painting was covered in grime and might have decorated a smoky bar that served longshoremen who worked the waterfront. I couldn’t recognize the signature that was partially hidden by the frame, and never identified the artist… until now.
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Eisenberg’s To Reopen!
Once the busiest lunch counter in Manhattan’s Flatiron District, Eisenberg’s Sandwich Shop closed earlier this year as a casualty of the Pandemic. But I just got the happy news that it will be reopening under new owners. This was a great place to sketch... -
Sketching An Encounter with WWII History in Maine’s North Woods
Driving the country roads in the North Woods of Maine I did not expect to come face to face with a historical episode from World War II. Yet that is exactly what happed when I learned of the remains of a prisoner of war camp hidden away in the North Woods.
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Medical Care in the Nursing Home on the Cover of JAGS
Over the years I photographed hundreds of older adults with the goal of challenging stereotypes while presenting a humanistic perspective of aging. The new Ars Longa section is meant to showcase cultural and artistic approaches to aging and the care of older people, and I am glad to have my work published in this forum.
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Sketching the Benin Bronzes at the Met
Standing silently while sketching in the empty gallery, it is difficult to imagine the majesty and meaning once held by these sculptures. There is no better example of the mystery and power of art, and how it reflects on both the highest and lowest ideals of humanity.
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Art, Medicine, and Inspiration
When growing up our family doctor had a set of prints on the wall of his waiting room that depicted scenes from a doctor’s life. As a child I climbed on a chair to study details which stirred the inspiration that governed my life’s direction to pursue both art and medicine.
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Sketchbooks I Have Known and Loved
When I first started sketching I was overwhelmed with sketchbook choices. I remember going into New York Central Art Supply and getting totally confused with the variety of books with different size, thickness, color of paper, binding, textures, recommended usage, and... -
A Summer of Art Exploration in Maine
The summer of 2015 was the first time I really set out to explore art and develop my skills in Maine. I sketched and painted like crazy. Spent days wandering the DownEast coastline towns such as Rockland, Camden, Southwest Harbor, Bass Harbor, and Belfast, visiting... -
Video and Plein Air Setup for Painting Lowes Covered Bridge
This post is for anyone interested in technical specs for video of my plein air painting of Guilford Covered Bridge. The camera is a Nikon Z6 mounted on a Vanguard Alta Pro tripod with a tilt arm that can stretch over the painting, but needs counterweight so it doesnt tip over. I used my camera bag loaded with river rocks for this purpose.
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Painting the Historic Bridges of the Catskill Mountains
Few places match the mystique and gentle beauty of the Catskill Mountains. Dotted with old barns and lush with winding streams, the Catskills are a lovely place to paint and enjoy fresh air only two hours from New York City. Thus far I painted four historic bridges in the Catskills. This post discusses each bridge along with photos and information on the materials used with each painting.
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Capturing A Moment of Inspiration in Maine’s North Woods
Plein air painting in Maine’s North Woods during the Fall season was exhilarating, but I was totally awed when getting a glimpse of the endangered Atlantic Salmon leaping upstream to spawn. My agenda included sketching a waterfall, and while asking directions a local fisherman told me about salmon sightings at Toby Falls on Big Wilson Stream in the town of Willimantic.
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Adrian Hill: War Sketcher, Art Therapist, Artist
In times of the Covid pandemic, with added stress and isolation in the lives of many, there has never been more need for the therapeutic aspects of art and creativity. For those who use art to cope and heal from trauma and inner scars, the spirit of Adrian Hill will live on.
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Sketching Flora and Priapus at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
I sketched sculptures of Flora and Priapus at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. These figures were carved by Pietro Bernini with assistance of his son Gian Lorenzo, who went on to become one of the most famous artists in Rome, founding the Baroque style of sculpture while working for generations of Popes.
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Painting Stone Arch Bridge in the Catskill Mountains
This past weekend I escaped the city heat and drove to the Catskill Mountains to paint a beautiful old structure – Stone Arch Bridge in Sullivan County. It was the second time I painted this bridge, the last time was in late fall when most leaves were brown.... -
Sketching Abandoned Steam Locomotives in Maine
Deep in Maine’s north woods sit two rusting 100-ton steam engines, remnants of the lumber industry that once supplied twenty percent of America’s paper. These reminders of the Industrial Revolution are a bonanza for railway buffs and sketchers.
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The Demise of Art Supply Stores in Manhattan
There was a time when an art supply store was a destination of peaceful refuge and an incubator of dreams. In these once revered halls of colorful wonder, the sales people were quirky but knowledgeable and eager to help. I remember long conversations about the pros... -
My Art Library: Sketching Before Urban Sketchers
Before the explosion of the Urban Sketchers movement there was very little published on this topic. On a recent visit to Los Angeles I stopped by my favorite art books store, Hennesy & Ingalls, and discovered some treasures I’d like to share.
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California Sketching
For years Venice beach has been a place for rejuvenation of my creative energies. Life in Manhattan is perpetually stressed, leading to rigidity and stagnation. Nothing remedied this better for me than hopping on a plane to California to chill out in Venice. I would... -
Rehabilitating a Vintage Byer & Hayes Fountain Pen
About a year ago I bought a vintage Byer & Hayes fountain pen. It was in good shape with the original clip with the B&H logo. The main thing I liked was the super-flexible gold nib for sketching. Unfortunately the bladder rotted and the ink dried up leaving... -
Turner Watercolors at the Mystic Seaport Museum
I’ve long been a fan of J.M.W. Turner’s huge luminous oils that hang in many museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in my hometown of Manhattan. However I was unaware of his watercolors, and when I learned about the exhibit at the Mystic Seaport Museum I had... -
Remembering Susan Perl – Illustrator
While thumbing through a pile of used books for sale by a homeless vendor in Union Square I came across one entitled Through Darkest Adolescence by Richard Armour. The book contained illustrations that depicted the tribulations of young teenagers in concise and... -
A Train Graveyard in Thorndike, Maine
While roaming the Maine countryside looking for enticing scenes for plein air painting I came across a pice of American railway history. It was the crumbling remains of the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad.
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Returning to Cow Canyon Trading Post
My relationship with making art has been complicated, mainly because of my day job as a medical doctor in New York City. Years ago I maintained a painting studio, but gave up the medium when I moved into a small Manhattan apartment to pursue my training. But the... -
The Thrill of Watching Paint Dry
In the heat of the southwest desert, among the towering buttes and mesas of Red Rock country, I discovered the thrill of watching paint dry. I’ve been doing watercolor for years and found the most difficult part is waiting for each wash to dry before proceeding to... -
Plein Air Painting on the McKenzie River
The wild McKenzie River runs through the Willamette National Forest, west of the Cascade Range in Central Oregon. Over the July 4th weekend I went there to paint it. I managed to film my work and post it, and this is the story of my trip. I flew into Redmond and... -
My Art Library: Drawing the Head & Figure, by Jack Hamm
As someone who never went to art school, this slim out-of-print volume is probably the most informative book I’ve ever seen for learning how to sketch the human body. At only 120 pages, it contains hundreds of illustrations and easy-to-follow text that deliver tips,... -
Photographing Wigstock in Tompkins Square Park, 2003
Back when digital cameras began to outsell film cameras, I was still doing street photography with my Leica M4 and developing the film in my apartment. I have thousands of negatives in storage that document life in Manhattan since I moved here in 1984. All the... -
Life and Art at the Bowery Gallery
Philip Sherrod shows off his collage of found objects. In my years as a physician at St. Vincent’s Hospital in the West Village I became friends with many artists who lived and worked in this neighborhood, and getting to know them opened up new worlds for me. ... -
Urban Sketching & Asian Cuisine: Adventuring in Flushing, Queens
On Saturday night my wife and I decided to go adventuring and get Chinese food in Flushing, Queens. This place is considered the largest, least touristy, and most vibrant Chinatown in America. We took the 7 Train – nicknamed the Orient Express – from... -
Plein Air Painting in the Hudson Valley
Back in May as the weather tuned nice and spring began to take root I took a workship in the Hudson Valley with Garin Baker, sponsored by the Art Students League. This was a wonderful opportunity to get outside and paint in a spectacular environment close to... -
Revisiting My Medical School Sketchbooks
This is one of the sketches I did as a medical student when rotating through the VA Hospital. It was done with a felt-tip marker, probably a Flair, on the back of a Doctors Order sheet. It’s not dated, but was probably done in 1979. It shows a scene you... -
Plein Air Oil Painting in Central Park
The first sunny weekend in June I set out to do plein air oil painting in Central Park. My equipment included my Open Box M easel, a basic array of primary colors, and one of my home-made panels surfaced with primed cotton. The park gets really crowded with... -
Rehabilitating a Vintage Grumbacher #286 French Easel
I’m a big fan of vintage art supplies. Seems that much of the stuff you get today feels like cheap knock-offs. Plus its kind of a spiritual experience using good quality materials that were used and enjoyed by another artist. I always admired the romance of... -
Preparing for Plein Air Painting in Castine, Maine
Those of you who follow my posts know that I recently picked up plein-air painting using watercolor and oil. I am pleased to announce that I was accepted to the Castine Plein Air Festival this summer in Castine, Maine. In the spring I submitted an application to... -
The Ticket That Got Me Through Medical School
While going through a box of art supplies I had in storage I came across this ticket to the Friday Eventing Sketch Class from 1982. I suddenly realized how important the Art Students League was in getting me through medical school. I went to medical school in Newark,... -
Urban Sketching in Portland, Oregon
I recently spent time in Portland, Oregon. My reason for going was to present research at the American Geriatrics Society annual meeting that was held at the Convention Center. While there, I was able to get out and explore the downtown area, and also do some... -
Art, Dementia, and Elder Abuse: The Sad Story of Peter Max
Back in high school I was a big fan of Peter Max. His work was everywhere – on the cover of Life Magazine, on album covers for The Beatles, and on psychedelic day-glow posters at the head shop on Journal Square in Jersey City, the town where I grew up. I remember... -
Trying Out Rabbit Skin Glue
This weekend I tried rabbit skin glue for priming canvas and was pleased with the result. For years I was hesitant to test this old-time technology, but having been disappointed with PVR sizing I decided to give it a go. Plus with the closing of Jerry’s on Fourth... -
Another Art Supply Store Closes
It was with sadness that I went downtown to Jerrys New York Central on 4th Avenue to grab what was left at the closing sale. Jerry’s was one of the last remaining art supply stores in Manhattan that had salespeople who know about the inventory and a friendly... -
The Minotaur of Zuccarello
While wandering the winding stone streets of the nearly deserted medieval town of Zucarello looking for a quiet place to paint, a startling sight made my blood run cold. Built into a niche was a locked cell of iron bars that held a very lifelike creature with bulging... -
Celebrity Duck Takes Manhattan!
Feeling bruised after an expensive and somewhat painful dental appointment, I took a detour into Central Park to lighten my spirits. Walking by the pond by 59th Street and 5th Avenue, in the shadow of the Plaza Hotel, I noticed a crowd pressed at the edge of the... -
Urban Sketching in Porto and Madrid
Getting to Portugal for the international Urban Sketchers Symposium was not difficult, but demanded some tricky connections as I started off from Maine. So I took a ride on an 8 seater Cessna from Rockland to Boston where I caught a flight to Madrid. I was able to... -
Sketching at the Museo del Prado
This past summer after the Urban Sketchers Symposium in Porto I flew to Madrid where I spent time sketching in the Museo del Prado. This amazing world-class museum is bursting with gems of art history and Spanish culture, along with a strict policy that bans... -
Review of a Vintage Winsor Newton Travel Palette
This is a review of a vintage Winsor Newton travel watercolor palette I scored on Ebay. I don’t know the model number or year it was made and if anyone has this info I would appreciate if you passed it on. I’ve been using a metal travel palette with 14 half pans and... -
Welcome to My New Website!
Welcome to my new website, which assembles a good portion of my creative output into one place that is easily viewable and searchable. My sketchbooks, photos, paintings, blog posts, and videos are all represented here. When I started this project I was surprised how... -
Celebrating Old Age at the Burning Ghats in Benares
Benares, also known as Varanasi, is the holiest city in India and one of the oldest living cities of the world. It is built on the banks of the sacred river Ganges – a place of pilgrimage and home to Shiva, the volatile and compassionate god who is known as the... -
My New Canine Sketch Partner
Two years ago when coming back from a medical conference I picked up a puppy in Ohio and drove over 450 miles back to NYC. The drive took 2 days and we did some serious bonding, taking our time sketching along the way. Here is our journey… Our first stop was a... -
A Plein Air Setup for Large-Scale Urban Sketching
I find sketching to be an antidote to the high-tech, socially networked, Instagrammed world we live in. After a year of sketching in a small sketchbook I decided to go larger, but this meant upgrading my equipment. I’d been looking for a plein air rig that would do... -
Ambulating Manhattan
Across the globe, more than half the world’s population lives in cities, and there is a growing recognition that urban environments need to be more age-friendly. With its rich cultural offerings and easy access to stores, New York City looks like a great place to... -
Courtroom Art and NYC History
This is a message to sketchers and those interested in the underbelly of New York City history: RUN DON’T WALK to the exhibit currently running at the Anya and Andrew Shiva Gallery at John Jay College of Criminal Justice until February 2, 2018. The show is entitled... -
Remembering 5Pointz
Three years ago I biked across the Queensboro Bridge to admire and photograph the spraypainted graffiti murals at the fabled location in Long Island City known as 5Pointz. Painted on the walls of a 200,000 square foot factory building, 5Pointz had a reputation as the... -
A Sketch of My Nobel Prize Winning Professor
As an undergraduate ‘pre-med’ student at Brandeis University, my major was molecular biology. I completed my senior thesis with a brilliant professor named Mike Rosbash who taught my genetics class. After graduation, I stayed in his lab, taking a year off doing... -
Rediscovering my Art Supplies in the Arizona Desert
In 2012 I rediscovered my art supplies that were in storage for years, and decided to get reacquainted. So I threw sketchbooks, pens, and paints into a backpack and flew to Phoenix, rented a car, and drove out to the desert to commune with the warm sun, cactuses, and... -
Watercolor and Urban Sketching in Italy
Last May I spent time in Rome and Tuscany, eating wonderful food, drinking wine, and sketching the city and countryside where opportunities to make and view art abound. These are my choices of the best images from my trip. Take the stairs down to the banks of the... -
Combining Art and Medicine
I love the look and feel of old medical textbooks. Their authorative aura was often enhanced by leather binding. They harken back to a time before the internet, when medical knowledge was priveliged information available to only a few. When I transformed this old... -
A Lost Manhattan Landmark
I was saddened by the blaze that destroyed Beth Medrash Hagadol, the 167 year old landmarked synagogue on the Lower East Side. The building was not in use since 2007, and I photographed this structure when it had an active congregation in 1987. When I heard about... -
An Abandoned Psychiatric Hospital in Tuscany
Tuscany is an enchanting place filled with scenic beauty, but beneath the surface there is dark history. On a recent painting trip to Italy I had the opportunity to tour an abandoned psychiatric hospital in the town of Volterra. In the late 19th Century when it was... -
Jean Martin Charcot: Physician and Urban Sketcher
I have always been interested in physicians who incorporated art into their life and practice, and one of them was Jean Martin Charcot. A towering figure in the medical world of the 19th Century, Charcot was born in 1825 and finished medical school at age 23. He... -
New Year’s Day Sketching the Q Train Inaugural Ride
New Year’s Day was a rare opportunity to participate in the opening of a new subway station. The Q line now starts at 96th Street and stops at 86th Street and 72nd – all new stations – before heading toward Coney Island. After years of construction... -
Capturing the Bolivian Sunlight in Watercolor
There is nothing like the dazzling sunlight in the Bolivian Highlands. At 12,000 feet the bustling city of La Paz and the amazing Lake Titicaca have a crisp atmosphere that brightens colors like I’ve never seen. This post presents a selection of my sketches... -
Aging on the Covers of The Gerontologist
Looking back at my published work on the covers of The Gerontologist, two underlying themes are diversity and strength in old age. Any student of aging knows that the older population is more diverse than ever, with differences expressed in color, culture, identity,... -
The View From My Sketchbooks
This is the view from my sketchbooks and paintings done en plein aire. They are a selection from the past 3 years as I wandered the roadsides looking for subjects. This is a view of the Triboro Bridge (now renamed the RFK Bridge) from Randall’s Island on the... -
Aging & Spirituality on the Covers of The Gerontologist
Given the subject matter it is fitting that my last cover on The Gerontologist came out in time for the Spring holidays. I’ve been looking back on my 20 years of covers on TG and blogging on themes that ran through the images. This post presents a selection of... -
Music and Art on the Covers of The Gerontologist
A recent cover of The Gerontologist features a musician at the local Octoberfest, a yearly block party that celebrates the German immigrant heritage of my neighborhood in Manhattan that is now only a memory. TG is the flagship journal of the Gerontological Society of... -
Aging Veterans on the Covers of The Gerontologist
I always had a soft spot for veterans, as my father saw action in the Pacific Theater and I grew up with his war mementos stashed in a corner of my basement. A theme in the photos I’ve taken for covers on The Gerontologist has therefore been veterans, with... -
Sketching in Savannah, Georgia
I recently attended a medical conference in Savannah, Georgia, and my stay was supposed to be short, but a huge blizzard coming from the midwest cancelled thousands of flights including mine. Good thing I brought my sketching supplies, because I was in this charming ... -
The Meatpacking District Before the High Line
I moved into New York City in 1985 to study geriatrics at the Mount Sinai Medical Center. Back then, the International Center for Photography (ICP) was located on Fifth Avenue in the 90’s – just steps from the hospital – and offered conveniently timed... -
Painting in Maine
This past summer I had the opportunity to continue my watercolor exploration in Maine. Part of my journey included a workshop sponsored by Coastal Maine Art Workshops with the master watercolorist, Alvero Castagnet. Alvero’s work is all over the internet and his... -
Recent Watercolors
This past winter and spring I’ve been continuing my exploration into the medium of watercolor, drawing inspiration from the bustle of the streets, parks, and people of New York City. Every day, every minute brings a new tableau of light and interesting... -
Traveling with Homer
My watercolor teacher Timothy J. Clark introduced me to the life and work of Winslow Homer – probably the greatest American artist of the 19th Century. Born in Boston on February 24, 1836, he was a completely self-taught artist. He began his career as an illustrator,... -
Sketching the Subway and the Disappearance of Time
When one rides the subway, particularly the local, time is marked by the staccato passage of stations punctuated by announcements and the in-and-out rush of commuters as the doors open and close. I recently began carrying my sketchbook on my commute to work and... -
Goya’s Physician and the Art of Caring
I recently went to Boston to see the Goya exhibit at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and was thrilled to see one of my favorite paintings by this artist – Self Portrait with Dr. Arrias. The painting was on loan from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts – a museum I... -
Sketching Gowanus Canal with NYC Urban Sketchers
I was always intrigued by the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. I read so much about it, with its pollution and notorious odors, situated in one of the most rapidly gentrifying areas of the City. Then by a gesture of fate I learned that the New York City Urban Sketchers were... -
Washington Heights Diary
These are my most recent watercolors painted in Washington Heights. They feature the markets, bus stops, street people, and Orthodox Jews around Broadway, Fort Washington and St. Nicholas Avenues. Thanks to my teacher, the master Timothy Clark, I am finally beginning... -
Arion Triumphant
This post is written in honor of the 500th birthday of the great anatomist, Andreas Vesalius, who combined art and medicine in his landmark masterpiece, De Humani Corporis Fabrica. I am a lifelong fan of Vesalius and currently collaborating with the physician-scholar... -
The Story Behind the AGS Annual Meeting Program Cover
I was thrilled when the American Geriatrics Society contacted me seeking images for the program cover of next year’s annual meeting. I spent hours flipping through my portfolio and found several suitable shots. Gradually I realized that to represent aging in America I... -
Caring on the Cover of The Gerontologist
I really like my latest cover on The Gerontologist as it expresses the essence of frailty in old age and the process of caring. I took this picture on a trip to San Antonio in 2012, at a nursing home called Buena Vida Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. This facility... -
End of an Era: Pearl Paint Closes
Last week was a sad one for those who follow disappearing Manhattan landmarks. The closure of three stores was announced – places which to many people make the fabric of New York City memories. They include J&R Music down by City Hall, Rizzoli Bookstore on 57th... -
More Snow in Manhattan!
As the sixth storm of the season dumps more snow on the northeast, most of us are getting a little tired of looking at it. Two of the storms came as arctic blasts and introduced new verbiage in the form of the ‘polar vortex’ to our daily lives. But life goes on in... -
Footnote to the 2004 Republican National Convention
Recently a news item inspired me to go into my old proof sheets and scan black & white negatives shot with my Nikon camera a decade ago. Nearly 10 years after New York City hosted the 2004 Republican National Convention, the city agreed to pay $18 million to... -
Manhattan Commuters in Watercolor
Over the past few years I’ve been exploring the medium of watercolor. The first choice that an artist has to make after buying paints and brushes is to decide on subject matter. I found a quite convenient visual topic to explore is the streets of Manhattan, and... -
More Vanished Signs of New York
This is a portion of my visual journal of changing New York City. In recent decades, development has erased many signs of the City’s storied and gritty past. I’ve been photographing the old signs of Manhattan and surrounding boroughs since I moved here in... -
The Masks of Manhattan
I’ve always had a fascination with the masks we wear, in daily living and cultural extravaganzas. I recently posted photos of festival masks from a remote location in the Peruvian Andes, and decided to contrast that with a post featuring masks from Manhattan. It was... -
Hospital Closure and the Gift of Time
The closing of St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City was a tragedy that many thought would never happen. In the Spring of 2010 this busy facility in lower Manhattan ceased to exist and thousands of doctors, nurses, and hospital workers had to look elsewhere... -
Sketching on the Lower East Side
This past Labor Day 2013 I had a relaxing afternoon with a friend, meeting him on the Lower East Side for lunch. We feasted on pickles, pastrami, and gefilte fish. Afterward we wandered the streets reflecting on the history and changes to the area when we came across... -
Photographing Letchworth Village
We often think that medical progress marches in a straight line, but that is not the case. Some ideas change the field rapidly, while others sit by the sidelines for decades before being accepted. Others are accepted by the medical profession like a fad only to fall... -
Maine Watercolor
This summer in Maine I continued my exploration of plein aire watercolor painting. “Plein aire” means that the work is done outdoors, and there was no better place to do this than the rocky beaches and little towns around Acadia National Park. My wife and I go up... -
Wounds of a Boxer: Medical Secrets from Ancient Rome
Over the past month an ancient sculptural masterpiece has been on temporary display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Greek and Roman halls. On loan from Rome’s Museo Nazionale Romano, “Boxer at Rest” depicts a battered pugilist immediately after a... -
JAMA is Redesigned, Art is Demoted
Beginning in 1964 the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) started publishing full color images of art on its cover accompanied by insightful essays. JAMA’s former editor, George Lundberg, wrote that this was part of an initiative to inform readers about...
